Lord Hawkesbury (1787 EIC ship)
Lord Hawkesbury was a British East India Company East Indiaman launched in 1787. Built by Randall & Brent in Rotherhithe, she was a three-deck ship of about 803 tons, roughly 143 ft 9 in long with a 36 ft 1 in beam and a hold depth of about 14 ft 9 in. Over the years she carried more guns and a larger crew, ending with 26 × 9 and 6-pounders by 1808 and a crew of about 110.
She made eight long voyages for the EIC between 1788 and 1808, visiting places such as St Helena, Bencoolen (Sumatra), Madras, Diamond Harbour, Kedgeree, Penang, Saugor, Tellicherry, Quilon, Ganjam, Bombay, and Colombo. Captains included John Barkley, John Price, William Donaldson, James Timbrell, and Samuel Smith. On the first voyage she sailed from The Downs in January 1788, reached St Helena, Bencoolen, and Whampoa, and returned to The Downs in July 1789. She also took part in convoy operations and prize-taking at St Helena.
In 1794, during the war with France, the government held back Lord Hawkesbury and many other Indiamen for a planned attack on Mauritius; the plan was canceled and the government paid demurrage for the delay. She was used briefly as a transport on the later, canceled Manila attack. Her final voyage ended in 1808 when she was sold for breaking up.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 16:42 (CET).